Chilean forest fires devastate ancient trees | Science | The Guardian Chilean forest fires devastate ancient trees Friday 8 August 2003 05.35 EDT First published on Friday 8 August 2003 05.35 EDT Close This article is 13 years old The monkey puzzle tree, much loved in English suburban gardens, has been brought close to extinction in the wild by disastrous forest fires which have burned down 71% of its stronghold in Chile's Malleco national reserve, the United Nations Environment Programme said yesterday. Some trees were 2,000 years old. The south of Chile is known to tourists for its dramatic landscape and temperate rainforests. After years of destruction the monkey puzzle tree is now found in the wild in two small areas in the Andes and on the coastal mountain range. In the UK it was much loved by the Victorians as an ornamental tree, and it remained popular in suburbia until the 1930s. A fashionable revival recently has put thousands on sales in garden centres, but these are grown from carefully controlled seed banks.

Fires in the past southern summer destroyed 30,000 hectares of native forest, and supplies of seeds are disappearing. Research by Cristian Echeverria for Unep has revealed the far-reaching implications of the forest fires in Chile. He is pioneering a technique for mapping the fragmentation of the forest using remote sensing satellite images from the past 25 years to assess the rate at which native forest is being removed. In one of the study areas 64% of the wild forest has been lost in 25 years and the continuous forest cover broken. Reconstructed maps show that in 1550, when the Europeans arrived, the entire country would have been forest. In 1990 the monkey puzzle was declared a protected species in Chile, and felling it was forbidden. Its plight is being used to highlight the threats forest fires pose to endangered tree species. In all there are 8,000 species on the danger list, 10% of the total number identified. The environmental organisation Fauna & Flora International and the Unep World Conservation Monitoring Centre at Cambridge are collaborating on the Global Trees Campaign, which aims to establish the management plans vital for keeping forests sustainable.

An important element of this is the development of a mapping programme leading to a world atlas of threatened trees. Mark Collins, director of the WCMC, is concerned that the future of wild forests has worsened since the centre published the first global assessment, The World List of Threatened Trees, five years ago. "New research, such as that on the monkey puzzle, is revealing that fragmentation of wild forest and their replantation with potentially invasive foreign species are major threats," he said. Peter Ashton of Harvard and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, supports his concern. He said: "In the tropics many rare tree species are already functionally extinct. "The high diversity of plants in tropical rainforests means that specimens are naturally widely spaced; if forest cover is further fragmented, then the probability of a pollinator being within range decreases. "Some forests are becoming living museums." Monkey puzzle | Attractions At Kew Gardens Buy images of Araucaria araucana (monkey puzzle) Menzies was served the seeds of the conifer as dessert during a dinner hosted by the governor of Chile. Rather than eat them, he sowed them in a frame on the ship’s quarterdeck and returned to England with five healthy plants.

Sir Joseph Banks, Kew’s unofficial director, planted two seeds in his own garden and three at Kew. One survived in the Gardens until 1892. The specimen at Kew is a much younger tree. It was planted here in 1978 and should live to be over 100 years old. More specimens can be seen in the Pinetum, including two of wild origin recently collected on a field trip to Chile. Take a closer look Monkey puzzles have green, glossy leaves that overlap and completely cover each branch. Some people say they look a bit reptilian. Do you agree? Individual leaves can last 10 to 15 years. Where leaves have died, you might see the occasional bare patch on older branches. The tree gets its common name because gardeners thought its spiny branches would puzzle a climbing monkey. The monkey would also be puzzled to find itself in Chile, of course – there are no wild monkeys in this South American country. Tree biology Before the name 'monkey puzzle' caught on, this tree was often called the Chilean pine. However, is not a pine at all, coming from a different family.

It is an evergreen conifer, and the indigenous people of Arauco, Chile eat its tasty seeds. In the wild, monkey puzzles are found in Chile and Argentina, 600 to 1,800 metres above sea level in moist areas rich with volcanic ash. They grow in mixed deciduous and evergreen forests or in pure stands. Here they can live to be around 150 years old. They have a shorter lifespan in drier or more polluted climes. Cultivation and uses Originally discovered by Spanish explorer Don Francisco Dendariarena in the 1600s, monkey puzzle was for a while the most valuable timber in the southern Andes, used for railway sleepers, pit props, ship masts and paper pulp. Today it is a protected icon of the Global Trees Campaign and these uses have largely ended. Its toasted seeds are still eaten by people living near monkey puzzle forests and its productivity (once it begins producing seed at around 30 to 40 years old) gives it commercial crop potential. Chile declared the monkey puzzle tree a national monument in 1990. Quick facts Scientific name: Araucaria araucana.

This species was named after the Chilean province of Arauco where the tree was first discovered. Family: Araucariaceae Place of origin: Chile Conservation status: Vulnerable. Though protected by national monument status (it is illegal to cut down a wild monkey puzzle in Chile) and a CITES listing (controlling trade), this tree is still at risk in the wild. Date planted: 1978 Height: This tree is a relative baby at 11.1 metres. Specimens up to 50 metres high are known. Find out more Press Releases August 2003 - Wild forests ‘living museums’ of virtually extinct species - 4 Aug 2003 - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) ***** Notes for editors Copies of the preliminary report ï¿½Towards a Global Tree Conservation Atlasï¿½ are available on: The report provides the case for a need to map the status and distribution of the worldï¿½s threatened tree species. The report is a joint collaboration between UNEP-WCMC and FFI. Financial support was provided by Defra with further support through the Flagship Species Fund.

The main authors are Adrian Newton, Sara Oldfield, Gerardo Fragoso, Paul Mathew, Lera Miles, Mary Edwards. Case-study: Monkey Puzzle tree under threat, research by Cristian Echeverrï¿½a, Chevening Scholar, UNEP-WCMC Research by Cristian Echeverrï¿½a has revealed the far-reaching implications of a recent forest fire in Chile, which destroyed 71 percent of Monkey Puzzle forest in Malleco National Reserve - some trees were 2,000 years old. Cristian is pioneering a technique for mapping the fragmentation of the forest. He is using remote sensing from satellite images of the last 25 years to assess the rate at which native forest is being removed. In one of the study areas 64% of the wild forest has been lost in 25 years and the continuous forest cover broken. Reconstructed maps show that in 1550, when the Europeans arrived, the entire country would have been forest. The South of Chile is known by tourists for its amazing landscape and temperate rainforests.

90 per cent of these trees are only found in Chile, including Araucaria araucana, the Monkey Puzzle tree, and Fitzroya cupressoides, which was named after the captain of Darwinï¿½s ship. ï¿½After years of destruction the Monkey Puzzle tree is now found in two small areas in the Andes and on the coastal mountain range. Fires in the summer season (2001-2002) have destroyed 30,000 hectares of native forest, including 71 percent of the area of Monkey Puzzle and 61 percent of Nothofagus (native beech) in one of the three reserves affected. Many of the destroyed Monkey Puzzle trees were 2,000 years old. In 1990 A.araucana was declared a protected species in Chile forbidding its logging. For other species such as Fitzroya cupressoides it is possible to gain a licence to exploit dead wood and as A.araucana is highly prized for its timber the government is under pressure to permit logging of the burnt forest.

Cristian warns that if logging is allowed then man made fires may increase, as only a small proportion of the native forests are in protected areas. The Valdivian ecoregion, declared by the World Bank as being an area of outstanding biodiversity, currently has no protection. Previously wooded private land has over the years been cleared and replaced with grazing or plantations of Monterrey Pine (Pinus radiata) and Eucalyptus. There are now 2 million hectares of pine compared to just one quarter of a million hectares of A.araucana forest. A.araucana seeds are a source of concentrated carbohydrates for the Pehuenche people, whose culture is dependent upon the tree. A Defra funded project set up after the fires is helping the people of Villas de Araucana establish a tree nursery. However this involves experimentation to develop successful cultivation techniques and it will be 200 years before the trees mature and produce seed.

A.araucana forests in the Andes are adapted to survive in volcanic soils and support a unique community of other species such as the beautiful flowers of Berberidopsis corilinla, the Chilean lion, the small ï¿½puduï¿½ deer, and a species of woodpecker. Cristian Echeverrï¿½a believes that education of the private landowners is key to the survival of wild forest. ï¿½Chile has a good transport infrastructure and is particularly inviting for ecotourists wanting to visit South America,ï¿½ he explains. ï¿½The country stretches from the desert in the North through every type of climatic zone to the Antarctic in the south. The forests of the Andes have a rare beauty and could be a considerable attraction for travellers. ï¿½Government and landowners need information upon which to make informed decisions and it is hoped that this research, made possible by funding from Defra and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office through the Chevening Scholarship, will support this.ï¿½ In 1995 Defra supported a project in Chile to restore Fitzroya cupressoides, the second longest living species (3,625 years).

The private landowner was at first bemused by the UK governmentï¿½s support for the project, but soon became evangelical when it was realised that he was himself a descendent of William Wallace from Darwinï¿½s voyage. It is often the case that people do not fully appreciate the true significance of biodiversity on their own doorstep. ***** Global Trees Campaign - Over 8000 tree species, 10% of the world's total, are threatened with extinction. Destruction of woodland and forest and unsustainable felling of valuable timbers are causing the loss of many important species. Very few of these endangered trees are being conserved in the wild. The Global Trees Campaign, developed by Fauna & Flora International in partnership with the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), is drawing attention to this global problem and finding solutions. The Global Trees Campaign aims to save the world's most threatened tree species and their habitats through information, conservation and wise use. The campaign focuses on trees as flagship species for conservation of ecosystems and landscapes, and enables local people to carry out rescue and sustainable use operations. The Global Trees Campaign works in partnership with organisations around the world to save endangered trees.

For More Information, Please Contact: Eric Falt, Spokesman/Director of UNEPï¿½s Division of Communications and Public Information (DCPI), on Tel: 254-(0)20-62 3292, Mobile: 254-(0)733-682656, E-mail: eric.falt@unep.org Will Rogowski, Head of Marketing & Communications , United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1223 277314 Fax: +44 (0) 1223 277136 Email: will.rogowski@unep-wcmc.org UNEP/WCMC News Release 2003/44 The Pehuén Region | Patagonian Lands Pehuenches, the “people of the Pehuén” The Pehuén was a sacred tree for the natives of these lands, so they were called Pehuenches, or “people of the Pehuén”, one of the native groups within

 the Mapuche culture.

Apart from the hunting they based their diet on the recollection of the Araucaria seeds, which are very nutritive. With them they elaborated flour and fermented beverages. After the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores they transitioned into a society of ranchers and traders. They moved their camps searching for pastures and water from the high altitude areas in spring and summer to the low valleys in winter. Although, from the acquisition of cattle from the Europeans they consumed beef and horse meat, they were also skilled hunters, getting big animals like huemules , guanacos and ñandues together with other minor ones like foxes, viscachas, otters and birds. They were fierce warriors, the most bellicose of the area and their different groups were permanently fighting each other. A man’s prestige was measured by his courage in the wars and his wealth, which was based on the amount of spouses and cattle that he owned. For the battles they dressed with striking leather-made clothes like cuirasses and helmets, crowned with eye-catching crests. Their weapons were lances, bolas and iron-made swords bought from the Spaniards.

Apart from stockbreeders and warriors the Pehuenches were also skillful and industrious craftsmen. They worked with furs, feathers, leather, wood and metals to make all kind of tools, clothes and ornamental goods: baskets, pottery, ponchos, leather boots, blankets, necklaces, bracelets and headdresses. Both men and women adorned themselves with silver-made earrings and painted their faces with colors. They appreciated the European clothes as well, like the riding jackets, sometimes combining them with their own ones. Other characteristics of their culture were the cone-shaped tents and the use of snow racquets. We do not know much more about this ethnic group that disappeared as such during the XVIII century. First, they were absorbed by other cultures, like the Tehuelches that came from the South and the Araucanos from Chile. Later, after the so-called Conquest of the Desert, launched by the Argentine government from 1869 to 1888, they almost disappeared, most of them crossing the Andes towards Chile. Nowadays they are recovering part of their identity and organizing themselves in different communities in the Neuquén and Mendoza provinces. *Source: Historia de Neuquén, S.

Bandieri, O. Favaro y M. Morinelli, Editorial Plus Ultra Aluminé The first stop on the Pehuén Route going from south to north is Aluminé, taking route 23 if coming from Junín de los Andes, or route 46 if coming from Zapala. It is a small town of around 5,000 located by the Aluminé River. The touristic infraestructures are quite limited, still being more a ranching than a touristic place. Its main touristic attractions are rafting the Aluminé River and the sport fishing. The Aluminé River is one of the largest in Neuquén, as it receive waters from numerous tributaries such Litrán, Pulmarí, Rucachoroy, Quillén and Malleo. Its rapids, surrounded by a landscape that combines the Andean-Patagonian forest and the steppe, are divided in four sections with different characteristics and degrees of rough water, ranging from grade 2 to 4+. Regarding the sport fishing, the Aluminé Rivers and its tributaries have excellent spots for fly fishing for trout, both from a boat and from the shores.

Villa Pehuenia 50 Km up from Aluminé, lying on the north bank of Lake Aluminé there is Villa Pehuenia, a young town founded barely 30 years ago that have grown significantly during the last decade. Its streets, which are unpaved, have no name and are dispersed. There is a small center where the town hall, the bank and the police station is, and another small commercial zone from where a peninsula over the Aluminé Lake can be reached. There are plenty of hotels, hosterías and cabins, restaurants, a supermarket and several camp sites. Surrounded by an incomparable environment, Villa Pehuenia is an invitation for multiple activities all year long: horse-riding the Araucarias forests, fishing in lakes and rivers, sailing, kayak, trekking the Batea Mahuida Volcano,or adventures in MTB or 4×4 vehicles. During the winter you can enjoy skiing in the Batea Mahuida Snow Park or do an excursion on dog sled. Caviahue-Copahue Caviahue and Copahue are 200 Km north of Villa Pahuenia.

Cavihaue is a touristic mountain village located by the Agrio Lake and at the feet of Copahue Volcano, of 2,965 m. It has its own ski resort with 13 runs and 9 lifts. The surroundings are lovely with monkey puzzle forests and spectacular water falls such as Salto del Agrio. The lake displays a peculiar milky blue color, due to the sulfur on the water. 20 Km higher you reach Copahue, where there is one of the most important thermal springs resorts in the world, due to the excellence of its medicinal waters, vapors, muds and waterweeds. Copahue does not have a permanent population, as the resort is open only during summer (November to May). During winter several meters of snow cover the facilities. Getting to Chile The Pehuén Region borders on Chile an stretches also on the other side of the Andes mountain range where there are significant touristic locations such us Curacautín, Villarica and Pucón, and volcanoes like Tolhuaca, Lonquimay, Llaima and Villarica.

The main border crossings along the way are: the Mamuil Malal Pass from Junín de los Andes, Icalma Pass from Villa Pehuenia, Pino Hachado Pass from Las Lajas and Pichachén Pass from Caviahue. Press Releases August 2003 - Wild forests ‘living museums’ of virtually extinct species - 4 Aug 2003 - United Nations Environment Programme ***** Notes for editors Copies of the preliminary report âTowards a Global Tree Conservation Atlasâ are available on: The report provides the case for a need to map the status and distribution of the worldâs threatened tree species. The report is a joint collaboration between UNEP-WCMC and FFI. Financial support was provided by Defra with further support through the Flagship Species Fund. The main authors are Adrian Newton, Sara Oldfield, Gerardo Fragoso, Paul Mathew, Lera Miles, Mary Edwards.

Case-study: Monkey Puzzle tree under threat, research by Cristian EcheverrÃ­a, Chevening Scholar, UNEP-WCMC Research by Cristian EcheverrÃ­a has revealed the far-reaching implications of a recent forest fire in Chile, which destroyed 71 percent of Monkey Puzzle forest in Malleco National Reserve - some trees were 2,000 years old. Cristian is pioneering a technique for mapping the fragmentation of the forest. He is using remote sensing from satellite images of the last 25 years to assess the rate at which native forest is being removed. In one of the study areas 64% of the wild forest has been lost in 25 years and the continuous forest cover broken. Reconstructed maps show that in 1550, when the Europeans arrived, the entire country would have been forest. The South of Chile is known by tourists for its amazing landscape and temperate rainforests. 90 per cent of these trees are only found in Chile, including Araucaria araucana, the Monkey Puzzle tree, and Fitzroya cupressoides, which was named after the captain of Darwinâs ship.

âAfter years of destruction the Monkey Puzzle tree is now found in two small areas in the Andes and on the coastal mountain range. Fires in the summer season (2001-2002) have destroyed 30,000 hectares of native forest, including 71 percent of the area of Monkey Puzzle and 61 percent of Nothofagus (native beech) in one of the three reserves affected. Many of the destroyed Monkey Puzzle trees were 2,000 years old. In 1990 A.araucana was declared a protected species in Chile forbidding its logging. For other species such as Fitzroya cupressoides it is possible to gain a licence to exploit dead wood and as A.araucana is highly prized for its timber the government is under pressure to permit logging of the burnt forest. Cristian warns that if logging is allowed then man made fires may increase, as only a small proportion of the native forests are in protected areas. The Valdivian ecoregion, declared by the World Bank as being an area of outstanding biodiversity, currently has no protection.

Previously wooded private land has over the years been cleared and replaced with grazing or plantations of Monterrey Pine (Pinus radiata) and Eucalyptus. There are now 2 million hectares of pine compared to just one quarter of a million hectares of A.araucana forest. A.araucana seeds are a source of concentrated carbohydrates for the Pehuenche people, whose culture is dependent upon the tree. A Defra funded project set up after the fires is helping the people of Villas de Araucana establish a tree nursery. However this involves experimentation to develop successful cultivation techniques and it will be 200 years before the trees mature and produce seed. A.araucana forests in the Andes are adapted to survive in volcanic soils and support a unique community of other species such as the beautiful flowers of Berberidopsis corilinla, the Chilean lion, the small âpuduâ deer, and a species of woodpecker. Cristian EcheverrÃ­a believes that education of the private landowners is key to the survival of wild forest.

âChile has a good transport infrastructure and is particularly inviting for ecotourists wanting to visit South America,â he explains. âThe country stretches from the desert in the North through every type of climatic zone to the Antarctic in the south. The forests of the Andes have a rare beauty and could be a considerable attraction for travellers. âGovernment and landowners need information upon which to make informed decisions and it is hoped that this research, made possible by funding from Defra and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office through the Chevening Scholarship, will support this.â In 1995 Defra supported a project in Chile to restore Fitzroya cupressoides, the second longest living species (3,625 years). The private landowner was at first bemused by the UK governmentâs support for the project, but soon became evangelical when it was realised that he was himself a descendent of William Wallace from Darwinâs voyage. It is often the case that people do not fully appreciate the true significance of biodiversity on their own doorstep. ***** Global Trees Campaign - Over 8000 tree species, 10% of the world's total, are threatened with extinction.

Destruction of woodland and forest and unsustainable felling of valuable timbers are causing the loss of many important species. Very few of these endangered trees are being conserved in the wild. The Global Trees Campaign, developed by Fauna & Flora International in partnership with the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), is drawing attention to this global problem and finding solutions. The Global Trees Campaign aims to save the world's most threatened tree species and their habitats through information, conservation and wise use. The campaign focuses on trees as flagship species for conservation of ecosystems and landscapes, and enables local people to carry out rescue and sustainable use operations. The Global Trees Campaign works in partnership with organisations around the world to save endangered trees.

For More Information, Please Contact: Eric Falt, Spokesman/Director of UNEPâs Division of Communications and Public Information (DCPI), on Tel: 254-(0)20-62 3292, Mobile: 254-(0)733-682656, E-mail: eric.falt@unep.org Will Rogowski, Head of Marketing & Communications , United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1223 277314 Fax: +44 (0) 1223 277136 Email: will.rogowski@unep-wcmc.org UNEP/WCMC News Release 2003/44 Araucariaceae | Plants of New Caledonia Plants of New Caledonia A Living Collection at the Atlanta Botanical Garden Search Araucariaceae Araucariaceae past, present and living in New Caledonia If you are a citizen of the northern hemisphere, when you think of conifers you likely picture the

 pines, firs, spruce and junipers.

And likely you also tend to associate the tropics with broadleaved hardwoods and tropical islands with palms and flowering shrubs. Nevertheless, conifers are found in the tropics of the southern hemisphere, especially trees from the Araucariaceae family. These are the descendants of a quite ancient lineage of conifers that once had nearly worldwide distribution. Conifers are cone-bearing, woody seed plants of the Pinophyta family. They belong to an ancient group called gymnosperms, which appeared roughly 360 million years ago – well before flowering plants (angiosperms). The earliest known conifers date from the late Carboniferous period, around 300 million years ago, the time of the great coal age swamp forests. The fossil record indicates that these early conifers grew in the uplands surrounding the swamps and their foliage is reminiscent of some of today’s araucarians, like that of the Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla). During the Permian period, as the conditions become drier, the tree-sized horsetails and club mosses give way to dry-ground forests dominated, in part, by conifers.

After the catastrophic Permian extinctions, through the Mesozoic age of the reptiles and into the Triassic period, conifers continue to diversify. By the late Triassic, (roughly 225 million years ago) trees grew that some believe belong to conifer families extant today: Araucariaceae, Cupressaceae, and Podocarpaceae, as well as a precursors to Pinaceae (group that includes pines). However, fossil evidence from the following period is more conclusive, and these families can be said to have been part of the Jurassic flora. Trees in the Dinosaur Garden When artists depict dinosaurs or creatures of the reptile age–in paintings, dioramas and film–they often place them among trees with distinctly araucarian features. This is because of the araucarian-like fossils that date from the Mesozoic and also because the heyday of the dinosaurs coincides with the araucarians: Araucariaceae achieved its maximum diversity in the Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods, when it was distributed almost worldwide. When, at the end of the Cretaceous, dinosaurs became extinct, so did Araucariaceae in the northern hemisphere.

Today, araucaria forests are limited to the Southern Hemisphere and are considered a counterpart to the pine and spruce forests of the North. Petrified Forest National Park Rainbow Forest Museum, 1930s diorama with phytosaurs. Photo Margaret Killjoy Araucarians you may know Cook pines (sold as Norfolk Island pines) are popular as an “eco-friendly” Christmas tree. You may not realize it, but there ia a good chance that you have encountered an Araucarian, even if you do not live in a place where they grow naturally. You may have met one in the guise of a houseplant that originally hails from New Caledonia. However, thanks to a mix-up in seed source long ago, you will know this plant as the Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla) rather than the Cook pine (Araucaria columnaris). Cook pines were brought to Hawaii, probably in the nineteenth century, where they have done very well for themselves by naturalizing to their new habitat. They are a common sight in Hawaii, which is the top supplier of Cook pine, rather than New Caledonia.

When you go to your local nursery or home improvement store and see a potted Norfolk Island pine, be assured that it is a Cook pine. In the United States, in Northern California, Oregon, Washington and into British Columbia, the monkey puzzle tree can be seen growing in yards as a landscape plant. The monkey puzzle (Araucaria araucana) is actually a native of Chile and Argentina’s Andean slopes. This species demonstrates a number of features that are common to Araucarians: it grows very tall (up to 100 ft) and looks quite different in its youth than at full maturity. Below: On the left is a yard in the United Kingdom with two young monkey puzzle trees; on the right are fully mature trees in Chile’s Conguillío National Park. Araucarians of New Caledonia The abundance of conifers belonging to the ancient plant family Araucariaceae is perhaps New Caledonia’s most striking floristic feature. Out of 41 species in the family Araucariaceae, eighteen are endemic to New Caledonia.

In the genus Araucaria alone, thirteen of the nineteen known species are endemic to New Caledonian, where they occur from sea level to 3,000 feet elevation. The collection at the Atlanta Botanical Garden is especially rich in tropical conifers and includes all but two species of New Caledonia’s Araucaria. These trees are in many cases imperiled, so their IUCN ( International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) conservation status is listed with each entry. Araucaria bernieri BERNIER COLUMNAR ARAUCARIA (Araucaria bernieri) The bernier columnar araucaria grows most commonly in the lowland rainforests of southern New Caledonia, but some outlying stands can be found in the north. The difference is that the northern bernier columnar araucarias grow in serpentine (ultramafic) soils and are severely dwarfed; they top out at less than 15 feet. Their southern counterparts are rainforest giants that can grow to 160 feet tall.

Conservation status: Vulnerable Araucaria brimulata PIGGYBACK ARAUCARIA (Araucaria biramulata) This Araucaria species gets its name, which is Latin for “twice-branched,’ from its unusual growth habit. A. biramulata grows secondary branches near its trunk, as if piggyback to the primary branches. It can be found mainly inland, in rocky terrain. Conservation status: Vulnerable COOK PINE, COLUMNAR PINE (Araucaria columnaris) If you guessed that “Cook” refers to explorer Captain James Cook, you are correct. On September 4, 1774 Captain Cook and the crew of the HMS Resolution became the first Europeans to visit New Caledonia. Approaching the main island, they saw “a vast cluster of … elevated objects.” The men placed bets as to whether they were trees or large stone pillars. Once ashore, they found trees that resembled pines.

Cook regarded such tall, strait trees as a boon to sailors: “Excepting New Zealand, there was not an island known in the South Pacific Ocean, where a ship could supply herself with a mast or yard.” The tree seems to achieve its columnar shape only where it grows in its native habitat, on the coastlines of Southern Grande Terre, the Isle of Pines and Loyalty Islands. There they are battered by winds and tropical storms that knock out some of their limbs. Traditional Kanak hut at the Museum of New Caledonia flanked by Cook pines. Photo © Musée de Nouvelle-Calédonie Traditionally, A. columnaris is a very important tree to the Kanak. It is a powerful symbol of masculinity and of the clan chief. Kanak villages had at their center a large meeting house, in front of which was often an aisle of A. columnaris and coconut palms. With 28 Kanak languages spoken in New Caledonia, the Cook pine has many names. In its natural habitat, the south province of Grande Terre and on the Isle of Pines, the Cook pine is called xéxé.

Conservation status: Least concern MOUNT HUMBOLDT ARAUCARIA (Araucaria humboldtensis) This tree casts a distinctive profile where it grows, along the lower slopes of Mount Humboldt. Its crown is decidedly flat, while the lower half of the tree is sparsely branched. Conservation status: Vulnerable A. Humboldtensis growing on the southern slopes of Mount Humboldt. Photo P. Lowry. MOUNT MOU ARAUCARIA (Araucaria laubenfelsii) Named for the mountain in southern New Caledonia where it most commonly grows, the Mount Mou aracauria emerges above the canopy of the mountain rainforest. Conservation status: Near threatened Mount Mou araucaria (Araucaria laubenfelsii) Photo ©IRD The lush araucaria is found in coastal serpentine soils, often upland from Cook pines. Photo Bernard Surpin.

LUSH ARAUCARIA, COAST ARAUCARIA, SAPIN DE NOËL ARAUCARIA (Araucaria luxurians) Growing on the serpentine cliffs on the southern coast of New Caledonia, the lush araucaria bears some similarity to the Cook pine. As both its common and scientific names suggest, the lush araucaria’s foliage is more luxuriant than the Cook pine. The lush araucaria grows in more of a conical shape, making it the Christmas tree of choice on the islands. Unfortunately, due to its small distribution and small populations, the lush araucaria is particularly vulnerable to the mining activities in its habitat and its numbers have been on the decline. Conservation status: Endangered SUMMIT ARAUCARIA (Araucaria montana) Perhaps the most common and widespread of the New Caledonian Araucarias, the summit araucaria grows in the serpentine soils of the inland high plateaus and mountain ridges. Scattered stands are found in the macquis minière shrublands and low cloud forests. Mining activities are a threat, especially to smaller, more isolated populations.

Conservation status: Vulnerable Araucaria montana and the barrier reef beyond, Mont Panié. Photo Tim Waters. CHANDELIER ARAUCARIA, MUELLER ARAUCARIA (Araucaria muelleri) Found in the Pleine des Lacs region, the chandelier araucaria has the largest leaves of the araucaria species on New Caledonia. It actually ties with the monkey puzzle tree for widest leaves in the genus. This feature, combined with upright branchlets, creates the tree’s chandelier-like appearance. Principal threats to the species are the expansion of mining activities, especially with the construction of a smelter on Goro Plateau, and an increased risk of fire, even in protected areas. Conservation status: Endangered Araucaria muelleri on the western summit ridge of the Monts Koghi. Photo Tim Waters PORT BOISÉ ARAUCARIA (Araucaria nemorosa) The Port Boisé araucaria is one of the rarest conifers in the world. Its scientific name is Latin for “of the groves,” and indeed these Araucaria are found in dense groves in the vicinity of Port Boisé. Unfortunately A.

nemorosa also grows in mineral rich soils, and thus the species is facing extinction thanks to strip mining in its habitat. Conservation status: Critically endangered Araucaria nemorosa is own of the word’s rarest conifers. Photo Chad Husby Araucaria rulei Photo © IRD RULE ARAUCARIA (Araucaria rulei) Rule araucaria is found in some of the most rugged areas of New Caledonia. The trees grow on rocky slopes and mountain plateaus in ultramafic soil, which is rich in heavy metals and poor in nutrients. A. rulei grows slowly, reaching heights of 65 to 80 feet, far shorter than the araucarias that grow in the island’s humid rainforests. A. rulei is found almost exclusively in the nickel-rich areas on the main island, and as a result has seen its habitat shrink. Over the last 100 years, the A. rulei population has declined by more than 50%, most rapidly in the last decade. This is a direct consequence of open cast mining, which brings roads, erosion, soil dumping and unintentionally-set wildfires.

Conservation status: Endangered Araucaria schmidii MOUNT PANIÉ ARAUCARIA (Araucaria schmidii) Found in the Mount Panié-Colnett range in northeastern New Caledonia, this araucaria species looms over the mountain shrublands and dwarf cloud forests. The Mount Panié araucaria is unusual in that the leaves of juvenile trees are longer than those of mature trees. Conservation status: Vulnerable CLIFF ARAUCARIA (Araucaria scopulorum) The scientific name of this species is Latin for “of the cliffs,” which is just where this rare Araucaria is found. Rather than the coral-derived soil in which the Cook pine grows, the coastal cliffs to which A. scopulorum cling are serpentine. Conservation status: Endangered Araucaria scopulorum © IRD Araucaria sublata Photo Daniel Létocart VIEILLARD COLUMNAR ARAUCARIA (Araucaria subulata) Although it is distributed over a large area of southern New Caledonia, individual populations of Vieillard columnar araucaria are small and widely scattered.

It prefers mountain cloud forests of the interior and can grow quite tall (160 ft). The wood of the Vieillard columnar araucaria is of excellent quality, so the species is threatened both by logging and mining. Conservation status: Near threatened Agathis: Kauri of New Caledonia The forest giants of New Caledonia belong to the genus Agathis, also called kauri trees. Kauri is a Maori word that originally referred to New Zealand’s Agathis australis but now is commonly applied to all species of Agathis. With long, thick trunks, kauri trees are prized for their timber and consequently have been heavily logged. They are also highly resinous, and large deposits of kauri gum form where their branches fork. This gum, which helps the trees heal from injury, was harvested for use in the varnish industry.

Agathis corbassonii RED KAURI, CORBASSON KAURI (Agathis corbassonii) On New Caledonia there is red kauri (Agathis corbassonii) and white kauri (Agathis moorei), so called because of the respective color of their wood. However, some botanists do not think red kauri is distinct from white, so do not recognize A. corabassonii as a separate species. Both red and white kauri grow in rainforests, along ridge tops and slopes where the soil is not derived from serpentine. While red kauri does not grow in mining districts, it is still subject to forest exploitation. Conservation status: Vulnerable Giant Agathis lanceolata (Araucariaceae) tree in the Vallée des Kaoris, Monts Koghi, southern New Caledonia. Photo Tim Waters. KOGHIS KAURI, SERPENTINE FOREST KAURI (Agathis lanceolata) On the forested slopes of Mt. Koghi grows a giant.

The Koghis kauri (Agathis lanceolata) is the largest species of kauri endemic to New Caledonia. Other trees may grow as tall, at 130 feet, but none have the massive girth of the Koghis kauri trunk, which can be 8 feet across. Its bark is typical of trees in the Agathis genus, flaking away and leave behind a pattern that resembles hammer-marks. The species name is Latin for “shaped like a little lance,” which applies to its leaves. Conservation status: Vulnerable Agathis montana on the summit of Mount Panié. Photo © Gildas Gâteblé MOUNT PANIÉ KAURI (Agathis montana) Restricted to the summits of the Mount Panié range, the Agathis montana claims the highest range of all the New Caledonia kauris. Thanks to its relatively low stature (50 ft) and the inaccessibility of its habitat, the Mount Panié kauri has escaped the exploitation visited upon its lowland relatives.

The species has also received additional protection by the establishment of the Mount Panié Special Botanical Reserve, which includes the summit forest. Conservation status: Near threatened Agathis moorei © Bernard Suprin MOORE’S KAURI, WHITE KAURI (Agathis moorei) Another kauri that rises above the canopy of New Caledonia’s humid rainforests is Agathis moorei. As you might guess, its wood is white in appearance, distinguishing it from the red kauri (Agathis corbassonii) also found on the island. The word Agathis is Greek for ball of string, which refers to the kauri tree’s large round female cones. Once the cones fully mature, they break apart releasing seeds that drift down on wing-like structures. Some Kanak people plant kauri next to Cook pines to indicate the home of a family high rank. The beautiful symmetry of tree’s cone is regarded as emblematic of clan unity under the leadership of the chief. The wood was traditionally used to craft canoes, sculpture, and support beams for houses.

Conservation status: Vulnerable SCRUB KAURI (Agathis ovata) Trees in the genus Agathis are especially well adapted for places like the maquis because they are highly efficient nitrogen users. With the help of mycorrhizae (specialist fungi) they can produce far more wood, bark, and cones than other trees given the same amount of nitrogen. A. ovata also grows in the humid mountain forests, which are more abundant in rain and provide richer soil. In these conditions A. ovata can reach 80 feet. Conservation Status: Endangered Agathis ovata (Araucariaceae) in the mists of Mount Dzumac. Photo Tim Waters. References Bramwell, David. “Biogeography and conservation of the flora of New Caledonia.” The Biology of Island Floras. Ed. David Bramwell and Juli Caujape-Castells. Cambridge UP: Cambridge, 2011. 226-238. Eckenwalder, James E. Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference. Timber Press: Portland, 2009.

Endemia.nc : Faune et Flore de Nouvelle-Calédonie. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. Kasarherou, Emmanuel, Bealo Wedoye, Roger Boulay, and Claire Merleau-Ponty. Guides des Plantes du Chemin Kanak. New Caledonia: Agence de développement de la culture kanak, 1998. Little, Elbert L. Jr., Roger G. Skolmen. Agricultural Handbook no. 679. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1989. Share this:

Question: In which mountain range were monkey puzzle trees first discovered by Europeans?
Answer: ANDES